With particular regard to food storage bags, it is well know in the art of plastic bag manufacturing to include an absorbent pad within the bag for absorbing any fluids that may emanate from the food. This is especially the case when the food is beef or poultry, which exudes blood and other fluids that may be unsightly or that may include bacteria or otherwise pose a health risk.
Traditionally, soaker pads have simply been heat welded to one or more walls of material forming the bag. A recent improvement to the art of securing soaker pads to bags is found in Yeager U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,868 (the '868 Patent). In particular, an enclosure containing a soaker pad is provided in the bottom of the storage bag in the '868 Patent. The enclosure is formed by sealing a perforated film about its perimeter to the front and rear panels of the bag whereby fluid must pass through the perforated film to reach the soaker pad disposed in the enclosed space. The defining of the enclosed space by the perforated film is important, as not only does the soaker pad serve to retain fluids, but the enclosed space itself acts a fluid sump or reservoir. Improvements to the bag of the '868 Patent are also found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,845,769 and 5,839,572, both to Yeager.
While the storage bag disclosed by the '868 Patent, and further improvements thereto, have been well received by food packagers, a need remains for a simpler and more efficient method of securing an absorbent pad within a storage bag, especially when a fluid sump or reservoir is not desired and the materials therefor present an unnecessary cost.